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Friday, July 28, 2017

September 2016 {Month in Review}

Bloggy Bummer

This month wins the award for being the most stressful, emotional, and overwhelming! I began September with a website migration from Blogger to WordPress, and everything pretty much went downhill from there. Nothing like technology to make me feel no smarter than a rotten tree stump. Ugh. There's a reason someone came up with the saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
Well, through more tears than I care to admit and one too many teeth-gnashing episodes, this old dog is trying really hard to learn new tricks. And, I'm making sure to give myself plenty of rewards in the form of CHOCOLATE. Lots of chocolate.

It's already October, and I'm nowhere near where I want to be with my website, but I've had to come to grips with the fact that I can only do so much. I have to keep reminding myself that other, more important priorities must continue to take precedence in my life at this time.

So, I'm choosing, or at least I'm trying, to be content with slow progress. I'm trying to not let the fact that ALL my links in every post are BROKEN and need to be fixed, that every single pin from my own blog in my Pinterest boards have broken links, that I'm down by about 7,000 views per month, and that I won't be making extra income anytime soon weigh too heavily on my heart and mind.

I know it's not worth losing my fragile sanity, and frankly, I know nobody cares if this blog lives or dies.

I stay because I really do love blogging and connecting with other bloggers. I stay because I want to leave a legacy and history behind for my kids. I stay because I hope some of the things I choose to write about help or encourage others in some way. I stay because it is my hope that one day when all of my arrows have been shot, when my quiver is empty, I'll be able to lay it aside (after much weeping and wailing, I'm sure) and maybe have a full-time writing career.

Who knows?

I pray that whatever my future holds, that God will lead and I will follow. And may I keep 1 Timothy 6-12 in the forefront of my mind which begins with these not-so-easy words for me: "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

I know I also need to pray against envy and selfish ambition where disorder and every evil practice can be found (James 3:16).

Lastly, may I be careful not to compare myself to other mom bloggers who seem to have it all. Comparison is deadly, I know, but difficult to avoid. Help me, God, to learn from and appreciate others' gifts and talents and not to envy and suffocate the joy that comes from following the plan you have for me.

Fairy Lights

Added a touch of whimsy to my room. I received these last year for my birthday but hadn't hung them up since moving to a new neighborhood this past January. I absolutely love these lights, and they make me smile. Hopefully, we will get our other sets hung outside soon while this desert weather is absolutely divine!

Blooming Cape Honeysuckle

Blooming Cape Honeysuckle is such a beautiful desert plant, and this one has survived lots of puppy tromping and chewing. I almost pulled it up, but I'm glad I didn't. When I captured the beauty of this flower the other day, I thought to myself, Just keep blooming, just keep blooming . . ." Sound advice for the plant and myself.

Toe Injury

A couple of weeks ago, I received the worst toe injury of my life! I will spare everyone a photo of the grossness, so instead, I'm posting this photo as a reminder of when I had to wear boots with shorts. I don't typically wear boots with shorts, but it is still HOT in AZ. These boots were the ONLY shoes that didn't hurt to wear while my toe healed. Funny thing is, wearing boots with shorts grew on me, and I kind of like the look now. :)

I still can't wear flip flops out and about because my toenail hasn't grown all the way back, yet. I'm just glad it IS growing back!

Montezuma's Castle Family Field Trip

It was nice to get away from my computer woes and visit the Montezuma Castle National Monument, Montezuma Well, and some petroglyphs at the V-Bar-V Heritage Site. Nature always does the body and soul good!

Montezuma Well - a surprise lake in the middle of the desert.

This was pretty much my view on all the hiking trails since I was having to limp my way across the Verde Valley. ;) Rockin' the shorts and boots, though!

Loved capturing the sun shining its beams of light. Hope to write a much longer field trip post highlighting these Arizona National Monuments and beautiful AZ scenery.

Ended our family field trip at the Rock Springs Cafe which is known for its amazing pie.

Little Gifts

One of the nice things about having teens is when they bring home little, I-thought-of-you gifts. These gifts truly mean a lot! Eating Jelly Belly candy always reminds me of going to Hallmark as a kid. Getting Jelly Bellies there was such a fun treat, and I'd eat them until my tongue hurt.

Mums

Mums are so stinkin' expensive that I almost cried when I saw these beauties for $2.99 at Sprouts. Mums don't seem to last very long in the desert, either, and I'm having a problem with those little white flies that suck the life out of plants. :( My mums aren't looking too great, so I'm glad I didn't spend a fortune on them.

Pumpkin Crazy

I probably went too crazy this year. The juice and toasted cereal weren't that great. However, the smoothie and pancakes are always yummy! Homemade pumpkin stuff always tastes better anyway.

Fall Decor

I was so excited to finally use the acorns that my daughter and I collected at the beginning of this year. I have more but haven't cleaned them off yet. I know rocks aren't overly fall-ish, but we burned our pine cones in the fire pit last year. Those rocks are special, though, since they are from a beach trip I took with my mom.

Autumn Walks

It's been SO nice to be able to take Kylo for walks in the afternoon again. He NEEDS those mid-day walks to burn off all that puppy energy. Love getting out everyday with my sweet girl!

Cookie Baker

This girl bakes a mean cookie! She's been enjoying making cookies from a Mrs. Fields cookie cookbook I've had for years. It's been fun tasting new treats, and they always taste better when they're made by someone else!

Apple Tree Replacement

One of my birthday apple trees - Santa Anna - didn't survive the intense summer heat. Hubby couldn't find another Santa Anna anywhere, so we are trying out a Gala. I didn't know these could grow in the desert, so I'm super excited to try it out! So ready to have home grown apples again!!!!!

College Already?

Crazy that this is happening already. Wasn't my oldest just wearing a cute engineer's hat while building train tracks for Thomas the Train and all his friends?

I could've sworn it was just last weekend when we were cheering him on as he raced across the flag football field for another touchdown. But, no, time has flown and college is right around the corner.

Proud of all this guy has accomplished and praising the Lord for scholarships!

Well, I can say that I'm glad September is over. Glad to have captured the little blessings, though since those are what I'll remember with fondness anyway. In fact, "It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will." --Anne of Green Gables.

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About Me

Brandi is the wife of the one and only Ragamuffinwriter and home school mom to three precious children. She lived in Memphis, TN for 21 years, but now resides in the hot, dry Arizona desert.
Brandi Raae is a place for her to store her thoughts, archive her family's life, share her faith, reminisce days gone by, compile yummy recipes, review amazing products, and write about all things homeschool.